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Soccer, ballet, back-to-school nights…. Back-to-school often means back to rushed family dinners on weeknights, but at the same time, it’s even more important to make the effort to connect as a family during this busy season. Anything that can make meals happen a little more effortlessly is welcome this time of year! Enter these flavorful prepared broths from Nona Lim, which we received to sample. I swooned over the Thai Curry & Lime Bone Broth at a trade show, and decided to make a quick shrimp noodle soup to share it with the family.

Simply bring the broth to a simmer and cook the shrimp until opaque. I added in noodles, also from Nona Lim, and veggies and cooked just another two minutes or so, until the greens were tender. Noodle bowls are also a tried-and-true way to load up on vegetables in my house, so this time I added bok choy and shredded carrots for an extra burst of color. Served with fresh limes for garnish, and sriracha for the younger foodie tot would loves to spice things up!

If you have choosy eaters, setting out the vegetables separately is a great way to let kids create their own bowl — and maybe even encourage them to try something new. Any Plants vs. Zombies players out there? That was the nudge that inspired my boy to try bok choy — and now he loves it!

Disclosure: I received product samples for review purposes; as always, all thoughts and opinions are our own.

Do you remember the first time someone put a hot, angry red steamed crab in front of you and expected you to crack it open? Perhaps this a distinctly DC area rite of passage, but I’m sure the foodie tot will be telling this story to her children one day far, far in the future. It wasn’t actually her first crab, but let me back up.

Last Mother’s Day, I had a craving for beach air and fresh crabs, as I tend to do when the weather heats up in May. Back in my carefree kid-free days, a coworker and I would play hooky on the first warm day of spring and head down to Annapolis for a little day-drinking. With kids in tow now, we hit the road for a day trip to Kent Island, just over the Bay Bridge from Annapolis. (Also, the spot where we were married, many, many years ago.)

After playing on a small sandy beach we found just down under the bridge, we headed over to Harris Crab House and put our name on the rather long list for a table. We were armed with books to read and settled in to a shady spot on the docks. We may also have treated the kids to ice cream before dinner, because, well, we were hungry. Fortunately they were still hungry when we were eventually seated on the upper deck, in a spot perfect for watching the nearby drawbridge over Kent Narrows. So hungry, perhaps, that when I read the kids menu options the girl didn’t really hear anything except the side items that came with the kids’ crab platter. Eagerly anticipating her corn-on-the-cob and applesauce, you can imagine the shock when she was suddenly face-to-face with a big, red crab, claws and all.

If you’re looking to get your steamed crab fix this summer, here are three of our family favorites. They aren’t all on the True Blue Maryland seafood list (yet), though, so you may wish to search their directory for other options near you.

Harris Crab House, Grasonville, Md. A True Blue Maryland spot, this Kent Island crab spot is large, loud and popular. As long as you’re prepared for the wait, you’ll enjoy delicious crab overlooking the waterway. And, be sure to visit their adjacent ice cream counter after. Just be warned that the kids’ crab platter does, in fact, contain crab. 😉

Abner’s Crab House, Chesapeake Beach, Md. When we need a beach fix, fast, we head to the little town of North Beach in Southern Maryland. Just over an hour’s drive south, there’s a city beach with a protected shallow water area that’s perfect for younger kids looking to splash and build sandcastles. (The pricey out-of-towners admission is worth it for clean bathrooms and showers/changing stalls, in my opinion.) After a day on the beach, we head to this no-frills creek-side restaurant for crabs. (There is a gaming room, so be prepared for questions about why there’s an “arcade” that kids can’t go in. We try to eat outside on the deck, anyway.)

Quarterdeck, Arlington, Va. Okay, so this spot is decidedly lacking in seaside air, but does offer a view of planes taking off and landing at National Airport from its popular outside patio. And, it gets the job done when you need a crab fix without a long drive. Plus, the piping hot cheesy crab dip is full of YUGE lump crab meat and will help keep you sated while waiting for your crab order to be steamed.

Crab houses do often require a fair amount of waiting time; it’s important to bring a few light reads…

Of course, they also tend to have brown paper in place of table clothes, so kids can get their art on too. And, it’s hard to beat a meal that you get to whack with a wood mallet!

What’s your go-to spot for summer seafood? Please share! And yes, she may still be a little skeptical of the crab experience… but she eats them.

April 29th, 2016 · Comments Off on Georgetown French Market Weekend

Have you ever heard Washington referred to as Paris on the Potomac? I don’t know where that comes from, but it is true at least one weekend out of the year — Georgetown French Market weekend! Extended to a third day this year, the festive open air market takes place all along Book Hill and Wisconsin Avenue from Friday, April 29 through Sunday, May 1.

It’s no secret that the foodie tot is something of a Francophile. Here she is lunching with a friend at a Parisian cafe last summer …

… okay, so that was just the American Girl cafe, we haven’t made it to the real Paris just yet. But we did have a terrific girls’ day at the Georgetown French Market last spring, despite a chilly, gloomy day. (Much like this year’s weather — but don’t let it deter you! There are plenty of shops and cafes to duck into if you need to warm up. Or, find a band playing and dance to keep warm!

This charming video shows some of the fun from last year — watch closely and you’ll catch the foodie tot, twice!

If You Go: kid-friendly entertainment (face painting, performers and more) takes place Saturday and Sunday afternoons, noon to 3pm, in the TD Bank parking lot at 1611 Wisconsin Ave. The DC Circulator is offering free rides uphill, so walk down from the top and catch the bus back, or vice versa. Get all the details on the Georgetown DC website.

Confession time. Have you ever been tempted to “forage” from a restaurant’s herb planters? See, there’s a local salad chain near us that has fresh herbs planted outside. I had been at the grocery earlier in the day and was unimpressed by the state of their oregano. I picked up the better of the meager offerings, but as I headed to lunch at the salad joint, I couldn’t help but notice how much healthier their oregano looked. No, I didn’t pick a sprig this time — but it was seriously tempting!

Herb envy aside, as I planned this recipe for mini quiche I knew I wanted to include feta and herbs. I wasn’t sure what vegetable to include — we are so close to asparagus season here in Virginia, but it’s not at market yet — and decided to go with leeks for a lighter flavor. A couple years ago, we had the chance to create a “foodimal” inspired by Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 for the movie’s release. Have you seen it? A line the kids still repeat, frequently, is “There’s a leek in the boat!” And it just so happens that created the perfect opening to get the kids to try leeks. They’re really quite mellow in flavor, but describing them as similar to onions can be a turn-off. Instead, we eased into them in soup form, and the kids discovered they weren’t anything to be afraid of. Of course, baking anything in a cheesy egg dish is also a good enticement to try it — and these individual quiches are just perfect for an easy and kid-friendly meal. I prefer quiche with a buttery pastry crust, but you could easily make these crustless for a faster and weeknight-supper-friendly version.

After preparing the pastry dough, I prepped the leeks and other ingredients while waiting for the dough to chill. Take the leek, rinse it well, trim the ends (you’ll use just the light green and white stalk, trimming the leaves and reserving for another use) and slice it lengthwise. Place the halves cut-side down on the cutting board and thinly slice them crosswise. Add the sliced leek and olive oil to a small sauté pan and cook them down until tender.

You’ll then set aside the leeks, chopped oregano and crumbled feta. Whisk together the eggs and milk, and you’re ready to assemble.

To cut pastry the right size for a muffin tin, I used the rings for a wide mouth Mason jar. A biscuit cutter isn’t quite big enough, but the Mason jar lids are a perfect 3 inches. Cut the dough into circles and gently press into oiled muffin tins, creasing gently.

From here, simply spoon the cooked leeks, feta and oregano into each pastry shell. Fill with the egg mixture and it’ll bake for about 25 minutes — before emerging puffy, lightly golden and delicious!

Recipe: Mini Feta Leek Quiche

Makes 12 individual quiche

Ingredients:

Pastry for one pie crust (or prepared pie crust, thawed)

1 leek

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

4 eggs

1/4 cup whole milk

salt and pepper

Instructions:

Heat olive oil in small sauté pan over medium low heat. Add leek and cook, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until tender. Season with a pinch of salt and couple turns of freshly-cracked black pepper. Remove from heat.

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Is your counter overflowing with summer fruits and berries yet? I always have big plans of preserving them but the foodie tots tend to devour them before I have a chance, so I usually wind up making a tiny batch of syrup or jam. But today 8/1 is International Can-It-Forward Day with Jarden Home Brands, and I’m looking forward to picking up some tips for putting up a few bigger batches before the end of the season.

Jarden Home Brands is the licensed marketer of Ball brand canning jars, and they sent us some of their newest products to try out. My daughter was especially excited to see that this year’s featured color is — purple! I was happy to try out the sip/straw lids, which are BPA-free and dishwasher-safe. I had made a small batch of apricot gooseberry syrup, which we mixed with seltzer to make all-natural homemade sodas one afternoon. I think the purple jars are quickly going to replace our regular glasses, but hopefully I can hold onto a few for preserving my favorite summer peaches!

International Can-It-Forward Day will be broadcast live online at FreshPreserving.com from 11AM – 4PM EST from the new state-of-the-art Jarden Home Brands headquarters in Fishers, Indiana. The webcast will have an integrated chat function where viewers can submit their home canning questions to be answered in real time.

Catch the live stream here at 11am Eastern:

The brand new 37th edition of the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving is a go-to resource for home canning as well, and I look forward to digging into it soon for more inspiration.

GIVEAWAY! Thanks to Jarden Home Brands, one lucky reader will win one case of Ball brand canning jars. Entries will be accepted until 11:59pm Eastern on Saturday, July 8, 2015. To enter, simply leave a comment below sharing what you plan to preserve this summer. (US residents only.)